Reuters:

The United States would like the U.N. Security Council to vote during May to further sanction North Korea over its renewed ballistic missile launches, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said on Tuesday.

The United States circulated an initial draft resolution to the 15-member council last month that proposed banning tobacco and halving oil exports to North Korea and blacklisting the Lazarus hacking group.

However, Russia and China have already signaled opposition to boosting sanctions in response to Pyongyang’s March launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile – its first since 2017. A Security Council resolution needs nine “yes” votes to pass, without a veto by Russia, China, France, Britain or the United States.

“It is our plan to move forward with that resolution during this month,” U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters when asked if she would put it to a vote. The United States is president of the Security Council for May.

ABC News:

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un warned again that the North could preemptively use its nuclear weapons if threatened, as he praised his top army officials for a massive military parade in the capital, Pyongyang, this week.

Kim expressed “firm will” to continue developing his nuclear-armed military so that it could “preemptively and thoroughly contain and frustrate all dangerous attempts and threatening moves, including ever-escalating nuclear threats from hostile forces, if necessary,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said Saturday.

Al Jazeera:

North Korea held a military parade in Pyongyang to mark the founding of its army – a notable national holiday – as leader Kim Jong Un vowed to step up the development of banned nuclear weapons.

The night time parade also showcased the North’s largest and newest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-17, state media reported on Tuesday.

“We will continue to take steps to strengthen and develop our nation’s nuclear capabilities at the fastest pace,” Kim said, according to a transcript published by the official Korean Central News Agency, as he promised to continue strengthening the country’s nuclear forces “quantitatively and qualitatively”.

Navy Times:

The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its carrier strike group are operating off the Korean peninsula for the first time since 2017.

The operations in the Sea of Japan follow North Korea’s test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile in March.

Business Standard:

The US has called on North Korea to refrain from further provocations and instead return to dialogue.

Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department, made the remarks on Friday amid speculations that the North may be preparing to conduct its first nuclear test since September 2017, possibly next week when it will celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birthday of late founding leader Kim Il-sung, Yonhap news agency reported.

“The Biden-Harris administration has no change in our policy and we continue to urge the DPRK to refrain from further destabilizing activities, and … instead choose to engage in serious and sustained dialogue,” she said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

The spokesperson was responding to a question whether there has been a change in the US’ North Korea policy after Philip Goldberg, nominee for new US ambassador to South Korea, said the US must push for comprehensive, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation (CVID) of the North.

The Guardian:

North Korea could be planning its first nuclear weapon test in nearly five years, according to a senior US official who urged the regime to step back from further provocations following its recent long-range missile test.

Sung Kim, the special representative for North Korea policy at the US state department, said Washington believes Pyongyang could demonstrate its growing nuclear weapons capacity on 15 April, an annual holiday held to celebrate the 110th anniversary of the birth of the country’s founder, Kim Il-sung.

“We are worried that in connection with the upcoming anniversary, the DPRK may be tempted to take another provocative action,” Kim told reporters on Wednesday, using the country’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

He added: “I don’t want to speculate too much, but I think it could be another missile launch, it could be a nuclear test.

See also: South Korea’s President-Elect Wants U.S. Nuclear Bombers, Submarines To Return

ABC News:

For the second time this week, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un berated South Korea for touting its supposed preemptive strike capabilities against the North, saying her country’s nuclear forces would annihilate the South’s conventional forces if provoked.

In a statement carried Tuesday by North Korea’s state media, Kim Yo Jong called South Korea Defense Minister Suh Wook’s recent comments about preemptive strikes a “fantastic daydream” and the “hysteria of a lunatic.”

She stressed that North Korea doesn’t want another war on the Korean Peninsula but warned it would retaliate with its nuclear forces if the South opts for preemptive strikes or other attacks, which would leave the South’s military “little short of total destruction and ruin.”

See also: US To Cultivate Options In Waters Near Korea Over Pyongyang’s Provocation: Pacific Commander

ABC News:

The U.S. imposed sanctions on five North Korean entities Friday in response to two ballistic missile tests the reclusive Asian country conducted in February and March.

The March launch was North Korea’s most provocative weapons test since President Joe Biden took office.

Authorized under an existing executive order targeting producers and supporters of weapons of mass destruction, the sanctions come after Japan issued its own penalties this week on four groups and nine individuals tied to missile development.

The U.S. government determined that the launches involved a new intercontinental ballistic missile which could be used in the future, potentially disguised as a space launch.

CNN:

The United States and allies believe that North Korea is beginning to make preparations for a possible underground nuclear test for the first time since 2017.

North Korea has recently resumed digging tunnels and construction activities at its underground nuclear test site, according to five US officials. Commercially available satellite imagery had shown some indications of activity on the surface at Pyongyang’s remote Punggye-ri nuclear test site.

It is not yet clear how soon the regime would be capable of testing a device at the site, as it depends on the pace of the activity, the officials say.

The preparations for a possible underground nuclear test come after North Korea tested its first suspected intercontinental ballistic missile since 2017 earlier this month.

See also: U.S., S.Korea Seen Resuming Major Military Drills As N.Korea Tensions Rise

ABC News:

North Korea’s long-range missile launch last week may have been a modified version of a type they tested in 2017, not the newly developed type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) Pyongyang claims to have fired, according to South Korean lawmakers who were briefed by South Korea’s military in a closed meeting Tuesday.

“South Korea and the U.S. intelligence concluded that North Korea’s claim is false, that it was actually Hwasong-15 [not Hwasong-17]. That’s why we are saying that North Korea is deceiving,” Min Hong Chul, a South Korean lawmaker from the ruling Democratic Party and a former general in the army, told reporters.

NPR:

North Korea said Monday leader Kim Jong Un has vowed to develop more powerful means of attack, days after the country’s first intercontinental ballistic missile launch in more than four years.

The statement suggests North Korea might perform additional launches or even test a nuclear device soon as it pushes to modernize its arsenal and increase pressure on the Biden administration while nuclear diplomacy remains stalled. Last Thursday, the North performed its 12th round of weapons tests this year, launching the newly developed, long-range Hwasong-17, which analysts say was designed to reach anywhere in the U.S. mainland.

During a photo session with scientists and others involved in the Hwasong-17 test, Kim expressed a resolve to build up the country’s attack capability to cope with threats, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.

See also: Analysts Investigate Possibility Of North Korea Missile Test ‘Deception’

ABC News:

The United States called Friday for tougher U.N. sanctions after North Korea said it test-fired its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile to date, with Kim Jong Un vowing to expand his country’s “nuclear war deterrent” while preparing for a “long-standing confrontation” with the United States.

The launch Thursday extended a barrage of weapons demonstrations this year that analysts say are aimed at forcing the United States to accept the idea of North Korea as a nuclear power and remove crippling sanctions against its broken economy.

Al Jazeera:

North Korea says it test-fired its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the orders of leader Kim Jong Un to boost its defences and prepare for a “long confrontation” with the United States, state media reported on Friday.

Kim, dressed in a black leather jacket and sunglasses, oversaw the Thursday launch of what was described as a “new-type” of ICBM, the Hwasong-17.

The first full ICBM test by nuclear-armed North Korea since 2017 drew swift condemnation from South Korea and Japan, as well as the US. United Nations chief Antonio Guterres condemned the launch as a “clear violation” of Security Council resolutions.

See also: U.S. Imposes Sanctions Targeting North Korea’s Missile Program

Military News:

North Korea’s recent test-missile explosion is unlikely to stop leader Kim Jong Un from chasing big plans this year to boost a nuclear arsenal he hopes will challenge his archrival, the United States.

Kim, in fact, may use it as a stepping stone to his first intercontinental ballistic missile test launch in years — and of the North’s biggest weapon — while diplomacy with Washington remains stalled.

It’s unclear what went wrong with Wednesday’s launch or how soon North Korea will conduct another test.

What many observers agree on is the North’s next goal: A space launch for a spy satellite that simultaneously tests technology for an ICBM that could accurately target all of the continental United States, possibly with multiple nuclear warheads.

Success would allow Kim to add major new weapons systems to his arsenal, boost public support at home and increase his leverage in future negotiations with a Biden administration that is increasingly distracted with the war in Ukraine and other major issues.

Bloomberg:

North Korea’s latest missile test appeared to have “failed” shortly after launch, South Korea’s military said, with the incident coming days after reports indicated that Kim Jong Un’s regime was preparing to fire its first ICBM since 2017.

The unidentified projectile appeared to have been launched at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday from an area near Pyongyang’s international airport, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The rocket seems to have exploded before reaching an altitude of 20 kilometers (12 miles), the Yonhap News Agency reported separately, citing an unidentified South Korean military official. 

See also: Large-Scale Military Drills And THAAD Are Back On The Table In South Korea

Bloomberg:

North Korea could launch an ICBM as soon as this week, the Yonhap News Agency reported, in what would be its most serious provocation in five years as South Korea undergoes a presidential transition and the world focuses on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Gulf Times:

North Korea’s latest launches appear aimed at developing and testing technology that can be used both for spy satellites and in a massive intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of launching multiple nuclear warheads, analysts said.

North Korea deployed a new ICBM system in Feb 27 and March 5 test-firings, US and South Korean officials said yesterday, in what could be a prelude to the nuclear-armed country’s first full ICBM test since 2017, potentially disguised as a space launch.

The giant, long-range missile system, known as the Hwasong-17, was first unveiled at an October 2020 military parade in Pyongyang and reappeared at a defence exhibition in October 2021, according to US and South Korean officials.

The large size of the Hwasong-17 suggests North Korea may be looking to tip it with multiple nuclear warheads in “multiple independently-targetable reentry vehicles” (MIRV), analysts said.

NBC News:

The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions Friday after North Korea had tested parts of its biggest intercontinental ballistic missile in two recent launches, a sign it is likely to fire that weapon soon to put a spy satellite into orbit in what would be its most significant provocation in years.

See also:
–U.S. Targets Russians In New North Korea Sanctions After Missile Launches
–U.S. Boosts Missile Defense Readiness In Response To North Korea’s “Serious Escalation” With Recent Missile Tests

The New York Times:

The missile, first displayed in 2020, was tested twice in recent days. While it is unclear whether it can reach the U.S., it poses a new military challenge to President Biden in the midst of the Ukraine war.

The Wall Street Journal:

North Korea has started construction at its main nuclear-testing facility for the first time in nearly four years, new satellite imagery shows, following a recent suggestion by Pyongyang that it could return to major weapons launches.

Newly detected activity at the Punggye-ri test site—where all six of North Korea’s nuclear tests to date have occurred—include construction of a new building and possible repairs to another, according to researchers at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studied images taken Friday by Maxar Technologies. The images also showed other possible signs of continuing work, from suspected piles of lumber to sawdust, the researchers added.

“These changes have occurred only in the past few days,” wrote the report’s co-authors, Jeffrey Lewis and Dave Schmerler, on the Arms Control Wonk blog.

The shutdown of Punggye-ri in May 2018 had been one of the Kim Jong Un regime’s most prominent gestures toward disarmament. North Korea even invited a handful of foreign journalists to bear witness as it blew up underground tunnels, sealed off the entrances and imploded a variety of facilities.